Silver Coin 200 CZK Start of regular broadcasting of Czechoslovak Radio 100th Anniversary 2023 Proof

Start of regular broadcasting of Czechoslovak Radio - 100th anniversary

The reverse side of the bicentenary features a historical tent, which is associated with the beginnings of radio broadcasting. Behind the tent there is a broadcasting mast and in the left front part the tent is partially covered with the historical logo of Czechoslovak Radio from 1991. The texts "ČESKOSLOVENSKÝ ROZHLAS" and "1923-2023" can be found in the description around the perimeter of the coin. Initials of the author of the coin Mgr. Marie Šeborová, which are made up of a composition of the letters "M" and "Š", are placed next to the tent at the right edge of the coin.

On the obverse side of the bicentenary there is a radio microphone, to the left of it is a single transmitting mast and to the right of it two transmitting masts from which stylized radio waves emanate. In the background, in the lower right part of the coin, is the historic building of the Kbely broadcasting station. The text 'CZECH REPUBLIC' appears in an incomplete description around the perimeter at the bottom edge of the coin. The denomination with the abbreviation of the monetary unit '200 CZK' is placed at the bottom of the coin.

The first attempts at radio broadcasting on the territory of Czechoslovakia took place before the end of World War I, and further attempts continued afterwards. The technical aspect of the broadcast was provided by the army from the Petřín tower.

The idea of a regular radio broadcast came from Eduard Svoboda. During a visit to the USA, he was interested in the radio receivers that were part of hotel rooms and offered guests the opportunity to listen to the news. Upon his return, he approached journalist Miloš Čtrnáctý from the Association of Czech Journalists. In December 1922, they jointly applied for a concession for public radio broadcasting. During the negotiations at the Ministry of Posts and Telegraphs, they were joined by the businessman Dr. Ladislav Šourek, who was the director of the Radioslavia radio receiver manufacturing company.

The first broadcast took place on 18 May 1923 at 8.15 p.m. near the Kbel airport in Prague from a tent borrowed by the scouts. The first words Hallo, hallo.... came from the air. The hour-long longwave programme included announcements and a concert. The length and beginning of the programme were then maintained for the following broadcast. Czechoslovakia thus became the third country in the world to have regular radio broadcasts and the establishment of Czechoslovak Radio is therefore dated only a year after the British BBC was founded.

The three men merged Radioslavia with the Society of Czech Journalists to form the Czechoslovak Radio Telephone News Company, which obtained the necessary broadcasting licence from the Ministry of Posts. This company was renamed Radiojournal after a few weeks.

Radiojournal's income came from a concession tied to the ownership of a radio receiver. Listeners were granted a concession by the Ministry of Posts and Telegraphs. The process, which took up to three months, was administratively demanding and required a number of conditions to be met. The applicant had to own a receiver from Radiojournal, have a clean criminal record, or own a home. Radio receivers were a scarce commodity and the purchase cost was as much as a year's wages for a laborer. Therefore, the first owners of the franchise were wealthy people such as factory workers, bankers, lawyers and pharmacists. The first concession was issued to a doctor from Řevnice near Prague in September 1923.

At the end of 1923, the Radiojournal had only 47 concessionaires, who paid one hundred crowns a month and sixty crowns a year to the postal administration. The production in public places helped to promote and attract new concessionaires. But there were many more radio listeners. People made their own radios according to commonly available instructions and listened to the programme "in the black". Illegal listening was then punishable by at least six months in prison. President Masaryk finally took action against this by declaring an amnesty.

Each silver coin is stored in a protective plastic capsule and placed in a dark blue box along with a certificate of authenticity from the CNB.